Category: Defence

Source: United States Navy

Vice Adm. John Wade, commander of the Third Fleet, was presiding officer of the ceremony. “I’ve known Rear Adm. Okano for many years now. This is the fourth change of command where she’s followed in Rear Adm. Small’s footsteps,” he said. “There is no better person to sustain and increase the momentum he’s made with NAVWAR. I look forward to serving with you and the NAVWAR team as we continue bring capability forward.”

A native of Evanston, Illinois, Okano is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy where she earned a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering. From there, she earned a master’s in space systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, where she was also selected for transfer to the engineering duty officer community in 2001. Her operational tours include gunnery and fire control officer, and electrical division officer on USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3) which she deployed to Somalia; and Amphibious Force 7th Fleet flag aide in Okinawa, Japan. During Operation Iraqi Freedom she served on Joint Crew Composite Squadron One in Tikrit, Iraq to assist with defeating radio-controlled improvised explosive devices.

Okano has also had several tours in acquisition, starting with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego; Missile Defense Agency, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System; Military Satellite Communications Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center; and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, California.

Her previous assignment was as program executive officer for Integrated Warfare Systems in Washington, D.C.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime to lead this exceptional organization, one that stands the watch day and night for our Navy’s Information Warfare capabilities and fights every day to ‘own the domain,’” said Okano. “We are living in a time where information dominance is critical to national security. In this dynamic environment, our mission is clear: to deliver and sustain superior Information Warfare capabilities, enabling our Navy to fight and win in the information age.”

As NAVWAR Commander, Okano will oversee 11,000 civilian and military personnel who design, develop and deploy advanced communications and information capabilities for the Department of the Navy. She is also taking over as head of Project Overmatch, a high-level initiative to deliver rapid integration systems and field a new naval operating architecture.

According to a recent economic impact report released by the San Diego Military Advisory Council and the University of San Diego Knauss School of Business, NAVWAR’s total gross regional product in fiscal year 2022 was between $3.14 to $3.38 billion. With both direct hiring and contracting work, over 18,000 jobs have been created. NAVWAR was also named the top cyber employer in the San Diego region by the Cyber Center of Excellence, with nearly 3,500 jobs dedicated to the rapidly growing field of cybersecurity.

“Central to our mission is the incredible team of professionals who make up NAVWAR. Your expertise, dedication, and commitment are the backbone of our operations,” said Okano. “We will continue to strengthen our partnerships across the Navy, with other branches of the armed forces, with our allies, and with the private sector. By working together, we can harness the full power of our collective capabilities and stay ahead of emerging threats.”

After a nearly 40-year career in the Navy, Rear Adm. Small has officially retired from military service. Throughout his four years at NAVWAR, a continued priority of his has been empowering the workforce. With reverse mentoring groups, Ask Me Anything’s and kaffeeklatsches, Small has always been keen on hearing from employees and engaging in open dialogue to enact positive change in the command. Under his leadership, NAVWAR was named the No. 1 place to work in the Navy in the 2023 Best Places to Work in Federal Government rankings, a reflection of his emphasis on employee engagement. He also stood up the Project Overmatch team after direct orders from the Chief of Naval Operations, bringing experts together from across the Navy to support this top priority.

“The maritime domain is growing in importance, and by extension so is our Navy. To ensure peace and prosperity and deter conflict, we need to be a position of strength. Part of that vital work is to ensure that our systems are integrated. That has been Rear Adm. Small’s body of work throughout his career,” said Wade. “I want to thank him for his leadership, management and technical expertise over the years, all growing in increasing complexity and depth.”

Wade presented Small with the Distinguished Service Medal in recognition of his exceptional meritorious service to the United States as NAVWAR commander, where his groundbreaking leadership led to the delivery of more capable leading-technology systems. The award was conferred on behalf of the President of the United States and the Secretary of the Navy. Wade also awarded the NAVWAR workforce with a Meritorious Unit

Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy, in recognition of their distinguished service to accelerating critical warfighting capability to the Fleet at an unprecedented rate.

“I want to say thank you to the entire NAVWAR workforce. We’ve been through a lot together, and it’s been my honor to have served as your commander,” said Small. “Be proud of the amazing work you do here and keep holding onto the mission together. You will be in good hands with Rear Adm. Okano, and I can’t wait to see what else you all will accomplish.”

About NAVWAR:

NAVWAR identifies, develops, delivers and sustains information warfighting capabilities and services that enable naval, joint, coalition and other national missions operating in warfighting domains from seabed to space and through cyberspace. NAVWAR consists of more than 11,000 civilian, active duty and reserve professionals located around the world.

Source: United States Navy

The Honorable Nickolas Guertin, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition will deliver the principal address. Remarks will also be provided by Vice Adm. Scott Gray, Commander Navy Installations Command; Ms. Michelle Kruger, President of Austal USA; and Mr. Stan Kordana, Vice President of Program Execution, General Dynamics Mission Systems.

In a time-honored Navy tradition, ship sponsor Elizabeth Asher will christen the ship by the breaking of a bottle of sparkling wine across the ship’s bow.

The ship is named in honor of the community of Point Loma and its decades long relationship with the Navy, beginning with the establishment of the Naval Coaling Station, La Playa, in 1901, and later the Naval Supply Center San Diego in 1943.

This is the second ship to honor the Point Loma community.

As a Flight II ship, EPF 15 is configured to deploy as a fast transport, or with Role 2 Enhanced medical capability, or both. The medical mission capability includes an embarked medical unit, two operating rooms, and the ability to support 147 medical patients and 38 civilian crew that operate and maintain the ship. Flight II EPFs will also have an 11M Rigid Inflatable Boat and MV-22 capability.

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342.

 More Information on the EPF can be found at: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2226179/expeditionary-fast-transport-epf/.

Source: United States Navy

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti hosted Rear Adm. Oliver Berdal, Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy for an official counterpart visit, Aug. 5 – 6 in Washington D.C.

Berdal’s trip was part of a week-long trip to the United States, that included stops in Norfolk, Va. to visit U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC), U.S. 2nd Fleet, and Commander, Submarine Forces Atlantic (COMSUBLANT) to meet with Navy leadership.

While in Washington D.C., the two leaders had multiple engagements to include a full-honors welcoming ceremony, an office call and a roundtable discussion with the Deputy Chiefs of Naval Operations (DCNOs). Throughout these meetings, Berdal and Franchetti emphasized the enduring nature of the U.S.-Norway alliance, as well as their shared commitment to safeguarding the High North and the Arctic.

“We must collaborate closely to address the challenges in this critical region by enhancing maritime domain awareness and the integration of our forces from seabed to space,” said Franchetti. “This close cooperation is fundamental to advancing our shared national security interests.”

At the DCNO roundtable Berdal and Franchetti engaged in a detailed discussion with the Norwegian Navy delegation on advancing maritime security cooperation. The dialogue focused on enhancing warfighting integration, uncovering new opportunities for collaboration, and underscoring Norway’s critical role in regional security as Arctic routes become more accessible.

“This visit has confirmed our strong friendship and long-lasting cooperation, a relationship that continues to grow even stronger.” said Berdal. “As the United States is Norway’s most important ally, it is essential for the Norwegian Navy to do everything we can to strengthen and deepen our bonds.”

While at Naval Station Norfolk, Berdal met with Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, USFFC, and Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, commander, COMSUBLANT. During the visit, the leaders discussed the value of consistent multinational exercises in and around Norway, and how these exercises are crucial for honing the strategic deployment of North American forces across the Atlantic to continental Europe, showcasing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s capability to defend every inch of its territory and affirming the commitment of NATO Allies to mutual protection against any threat.

This was Franchetti’s first counterpart visit with the Royal Norwegian Navy.

Source: United States Navy

The single-person-portable LittoralLens computer-vision system enables automated measurements of littoral surface water velocities and wave statistics affording an economical system, capable of computing real-time, littoral water wave characteristics and water surface velocities to support naval tactical decision for operational maneuvers from the sea (OMFTS) and increase battlespace awareness within the littoral environment for manned and unmanned assets, such as amphibious combat vehicles.
 
“The system’s small-form-factor enables onboard analysis on mobile platforms, such as a lightweight tactical vehicle like the Polaris MRZR,” said B. J. Landry, Ph.D., NRL principal investigator from the Stennis Space Center’s Ocean Sciences Division and LittoralLens co-inventor. “LittoralLens estimates Surf Observations, or SUROB, parameters to provide Modified Surf Index, or MSI, values, a mission-critical parameter that characterizes the surf zone and serves as a go/no threshold for U.S. Marine Corps OMFTS.”
 
The point- and shoot system leverages advances in computer-vision using an NRL-patented feature tracking velocimetry algorithm, with tightly coupled hardware to overcome the limitations where post-processing in complex coastal environments requires user input that prohibits automation.
 
“The LittoralLens system automatically estimates surf zone statistics via custom developed stereo reconstruction and geo-registration algorithms integrated with feature tracking routines,” said Carlo Zuniga-Zamalloa, Ph.D., lead algorithm developer and LittoralLens co-inventor from NRL.

Extensive laboratory testing of the system was conducted at the University of Iowa Wave Basin Facility and the Littoral Warfare Environment at U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground, as well as field testing near Camp Pendleton, Calif. The NRL LittoralLens team is comprised of five researchers: Mr. Edward Braithwaite, III; Mr. Grant Lockridge; Mr. Sam Bateman; Carlo Zuniga-Zamalloa, Ph.D.; and Blake J. Landry, Ph.D.
 
“At the end of the day it’s really important to have these vehicles safely transit from the sea-to-shore and shore-to-sea in an efficient manner to increase operational efficiency and warfighter impact for key missions,” Landry said. “Our lab is always happy to support the Marine Corps and drive the project forward, we are doing everything in our power to advance the Navy and Marine Corps’ mission readiness.”
 
Initial development of the LittoralLens system was under two NRL applied research projects with the technology reaching a high enough Technology Readiness Level to be included as a key tool in one of this year’s ONR-Global TechSolutions projects entitled, Marine Corps Surf Observation Tool for Littoral Expeditionary Operations.
 
As part of the larger ONR-Global TechSolutions funded Marine Corps Surf Observation Tool for Littoral Expeditionary Operations project, additional technologies are being developed in conjunction with other researchers at NRL and the U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) Field Research Facility.
 
“This opportunity to collaborate with the U.S. Naval Research Lab and ONR-Global TechSolutions, is one of many examples where the Fleet Marine Forces are informing and assisting our partners in the DOD research community”, said U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lester, Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) Platoon Commander, Battlespace Surveillance Company with 1st Intelligence Battalion.
 
ONR-Global TechSolutions is a rapid-response technology development program that produces prototype solutions to problems identified by Sailors and Marines.
 
“TechSolutions links warfighters to the government science and technology community to help develop needed technologies as quickly as possible,” said ONR-Global TechSolutions Program Director Mr. Jason Payne. “Our goal is to have a solution prototype in the hands of the requesting Sailor or Marine within 12 months. This project provides a tactical decision support tool providing a synoptic awareness of their operational environment to make informed risk decisions for littoral expeditionary access, which will be displayed on Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) handhelds for viewing on a Surf Observation Dashboard.”
 
The ONR-Global TechSolutions project, Marine Corps Surf Observation Tool for Littoral Expeditionary Operations, ingests data from the LittoralLens, a small unmanned aerial system, and other sensor feeds displaying them in a format that is easily interpreted by users based on existing training and tactics techniques and procedures.

“This August, NRL, ONR-Global TechSolutions, and U.S. Army ERDC are scheduled to conduct a final concept demonstration at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, in Oceanside, Calif., at the Technical Concept Experiment (TCE 24.2) and to put the technology in the hands of Marines that originated the request for a solution of ONR-Global TechSolutions Program in the first place,” Lester said.
 
The ONR-Global TechSolutions Program is driven by suggestions and engagement from sailors and marines of all ranks and science advisors on ways to improve mission effectiveness. To request a technology solution through the ONR-Global TechSolutions Program, contact or visit: ONR.techsolutions@navy.mil or www.onr.navy.mil/techsolutions.
 
The Modern Day Marine Expo is a primary and proven venue for product developers to demonstrate their capabilities to service members, acquisitions specialists, and service leaders eager to identify best of breed solutions which preserve Marine Corps dominance in every domain of the littoral operating environment, and a competitive overmatch for all contributors currently engaged in delivering critical defense applications.
 
 
About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
 
NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers, and support personnel.
 
For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@us.navy.mil.

Source: United States Navy

Titled “Innovation: The Future of Joint Warfare,” FWS 2024 welcomed 462 in-resident students, including officers from all branches of the U.S. armed forces, U.S. government agencies and more than 70 partner and Allied nations. The symposium also brought together a broad group of subject matter experts on emerging and disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, cyber warfare and space operations.

“My charge to you this day and in future events – participate. Fully invest in the program,” Rear Adm. Pete Garvin, president of NWC, told students in his opening remarks. “This race we’re about to run is not for you individually, but for the future of the international rules-based order we’ve enjoyed since World War II.”

Students participated in panel discussions supported by 20 speakers, covering topics such as conflict and competition in cyberspace, competition in the space domain, deterrence in the 21st century, artificial intelligence and data analytics, and deterrence in the 21st century. Topics were chosen after being identified by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) as special areas of emphasis for professional military education.

“We support the National Defense Strategy and CJCS Officer Professional Military Education Program by challenging NWC students to think innovatively about new capabilities and domains that are changing the character of war,” said Garvin.

Speakers and panelists represented the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), Northeastern University (NU), The Brookings Institution, Tufts University, Massachusetts institute of Technology (MIT), and additional U.S. government, military, academic and industry organizations.

Discussions during the symposium will continue throughout the academic year via NWC’s new Perspectives on Modern War (PMW) course. PMW combines theoretical analysis of war with the development of practical solutions to mitigate current and future global security challenges.

FWS 2024 began with keynote remarks by Max Brooks, author of “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War,” who has participated in various think tanks and speaking engagements at military institutions, sharing his knowledge on crisis management and emphasizing adaptability, resilience and innovative thinking in preparing for future conflicts.

Brooks encouraged participants to foster a culture of innovation and flexibility when anticipating and preparing for a broad spectrum of potential threats.

“Have the courage to champion great ideas, listen to those who have good, creative ideas, trust your instincts, and support your peers in creative pursuits,” Brooks stated. “It is powerful to make people understand what is possible.”
Brooks also offered that building partnerships is an overwhelming asymmetric force.

“An American-led world is a partnership. We are here as partners, for we are all working together for common goals,” he added. “If we double down on our alliances and collaborate with one another, these alliances can hold the line.”

Panelists also encouraged participants to expand their understanding of new and emerging environments where competition and conflict are taking place, including the cyber and space domains.

“Cyberspace is a warfighting domain,” said Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, assistant deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans, and strategy at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV). “You must understand cyberspace and space if you want to detect threats and employ weapons for command and control over the horizon.”

FWS 2024 ended with remarks by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, during which he discussed his three years in office and NWC’s critical role in developing the Nation’s maritime strategy throughout its history.

“The Naval War College is a national treasure. There is no institution better suited to build the intellectual foundation of maritime statecraft. It is in your DNA. Luce, Mahan, Sims—icons of this institution—changed the world with revolutionary works on sea power, ” said Secretary Del Toro. “They recognized then, as now, that for the United States, maritime strategy is grand strategy. Extraordinary thought leadership here in Newport made the nation a global power at the dawn of the 20th Century.”

Initiated in 2017 by Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) mandate, FWS gives NWC the opportunity to further its training and education on new emerging forms of war. The symposium supports Navy and Department of Defense priorities by challenging leaders to think innovatively about capabilities and threats in space; the global information grid and emerging technologies such as nanotechnologies, biological agents, robotics and artificial intelligence.

Established in 1884, NWC is the oldest institution of its kind in the world. The college delivers excellence in education, research, and outreach, informing today’s decision makers, educating tomorrow’s leaders, and engaging partners and Allies on all matters of naval power in order to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war.